Life-preserving garment



(No Model.)

0. WILLIAMS.

LIFE PRESERVING GARMENT. I

No; 252,828. Patented Jan. 24,1882.

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N. FETERs Phalmulhogrzgher. Washington. 04 c4 UNITED STATES PATENT truce- CHESTER WILLIAMS, OF CAPAO, MICHIGAN.

LlFE-PRESERVING GARM ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 252,828, dated January 24, 1882.

Application filed July 10, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHESTER WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gapac, in the county of St. Clair and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Preservers andIdo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to means for prese ving human life in cases of accidents or fr 111 other causes on bodies of water.

It is a well-known fact that the ordina-r j ifepreserver is not entirely satisfactory, e," account of the difliculty of adjusting it in the great excitement and confusion that arise in cases of accident; also, in view of the fact that the method of adjusting the usual life-preserver is not understood by a person in an excitfinentqwlso, in view of the fact that the lifepreserving belt is liable to slip toward the wearers feet. j

The object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by attaching to the ordinary upper garment, or to an upper garment of a special construction,aseriesofconnected tubes capable of being inflated by the wearer, so as to sufficiently buoy the wearer to enable him to float on the surface.

My improvements therefore consist in a jacket or similar upper garment having attached to its exterior an encircling-tube, from the front of which branch tubes pass upwardly over the shoulders and down the sleeves, terminating at the hand end in air tubes or cuffs, the whole making one continuous tube terminating and commencing at the opening of the garment, and provided with means for inflating said tube.

It also consists in the construction, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

Figure l of the drawings represents a man attired in my improved garment ready for use. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the garment, showing the arrangement of the air-tight tubes on the back of the same.

The letter A represents an upper garment made like ajacket, with the ordinary sleeves, adapted for both males and females. This garmentis substantiallylike aboys jacket or coat, so as to be closed on the wearer at the front by means of buttons or straps. Of course, in some cases, the jacket will be close-fitting and capable of being buttoned from the waist to the neck, substantially as shown in the drawings. This jacket is provided on its exterior surface, at its waist portion, with a tube, B, closed at the ends a, terminating with the vertical edges 1) of thejacket. Attached directly to this tube B, and forming a communication therewith, are the diagonal tubes 0, extending upwardly at the front over the shoulders on opposite sides, down the sleeves at the rear, and finally terminating at the wrists in the rings D, forming air-cuffs near the hands.

It will be noticed that the tubes are enlarged at the shoulders, so as to give a greater sur ace and floating capacity at that portion of the body, which it is essential to maintain above the surface of the water. The arrangement of these tubes at the waist, the front portion of the jacket, and rear portion of the sleeves is fully seen in the drawings. ment of the tubes rigidly attached to the jacket I am enabled to make one continuous air-passage, and the arrangement of the tubes on the sleeves aids in keeping the arms of the person on the surface, sothat they can be easily and readily used without much exertion on the part of the wearer.

To one of the tubes 0 is secured a small tube, (2, provided with a valve, f, for the purpose of inflating all the branches of the tube. The tube 6 should be of asufflcient length and placed at such convenient point as to bewithin easy reach of the lips and under the control of the wearer, and of a size to permit a rapid inflation of the airtube.

In some cases the air-tube may be inflated and the jackets stowed away on the vessel, ready for use.

I do not broadly claim a jacket or garment provided with a continuous air-tube; but

What lclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A lite-preserver composed of ajacket or garment having a permanentlyattached air- By this arrange tube commencing and terminating at the open- I of enlarged caliberat the shoulders, and having ingot'thegarmentand continuingupwardox'er the pipe 0 and valve f located in one of its the shoulders in enlarged caliber and down the branches, as shown and described. sleeves and encircling the wrists, and provided In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 5 with means f'orinflating the same,substautially presence of two witnesses.

as shown and described. t t

2. In a lit'e-preserver, the combination of the CHESTER WILLIAMS jacket A and the continuous air-pipe B, terminating and commencing at the opening of IO the jacket at a a, and provided with or being Witnesses;

D. O. WALKER, THOMAS H. BO'rrOMLEY. 

